The cause of the fire reportedly remains unknown.

It is expected to have an impact on several companies, among them Callaway, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Mizuno and Wilson, all of whom were listed on Launch Technologies’ annual report from 2021, the Associated Press reported.

Callaway Golf issued this statement: “We are aware of the fire that occurred on Friday at the Pingtung City golf ball factory and are working directly with Launch Technologies and local authorities to gather more information. Our thoughts are with all the first responders, employees, and families of those who have been affected.”

Dean Klatt, CEO and founder of Seed Golf, a ball manufacturer, said in an email to Golf Digest that there would be “a complete shutdown, overnight, for at least 12 months.

“Whatever LT inventory we OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] have on hand or on the water [being shipped] is all we’ll have for quite a while,” Klatt said. “Moving manufacture is not easy in this case. Tooling (i.e. dimple patterns) will have most likely been destroyed, so it’s a complete rebuild at a new plant with many unknowns. Dimple tooling is expensive, and that set-up takes time, then there’s the quality control issues to consider once you get to production phase at a new plant. At best, I would say six months to re-establish supply elsewhere.”

According to Klatt, information from Launch Tech is “still sketchy as they don’t really know what exactly happened nor what is going to happen moving forward. Because it was a chemical fire, water couldn’t be used to put it out, which seems to be why it got out of hand so quickly (there’s already been an investigation announced into what happened). 600 jobs at stake, plus a lot of money/orders in the pipeline. I have no idea of the cost to rebuild, but tens of millions I would suspect.”

The Associated Press reported that Launch Technologies shipped 260 million golf balls last year, one-fifth of the global total, and that “80 per cent of its sales are in the US.”

CTV News, meanwhile, reported that Launch Technologies was fined $75,000 on Monday by Taiwan officials and possibly faces criminal charges “for storing 30 times the legal limit of hazardous material and other violations.” The mayor of Pingtung county said at a news conference that Launch Technologies had 3,000 tons of organic peroxides on site, far more than the 100 tons of hazardous material that is permitted.

Main image: Johnson Liu

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The USGA and R&A will be proposing a new golf ball testing standard for elite competition that would roll back performance by 20 yards or more. But that proposal still must navigate a Notice and Comment period which lasts through mid-August.

The proposal will be explained in a media conference later today, led by Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, and Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A. Equipment manufacturers were notified on Monday afternoon.

According to sources, the proposal is to institute what’s known as a “model local rule”, which is basically a guideline existing for any level of tournament that might wish to adopt its provisions. In this case, the model local rule would be reserved for elite competitions. It is not clear what level elite competition might take, but it is safe to assume that high-level men’s professional golf is the primary target. In short, this would be a form of bifurcating the equipment rules where elite players would use equipment tested at different standards compared to how equipment used by all other golfers is deemed conforming. The sources detailed that the model local rule would apply to the way the golf ball used in these competitions is tested for conformance.

The primary proposed change would revise how golf balls are tested for conformance. The swing speed for the robot would increase from 120 miles per hour to 127 miles per hour. That likely would make all current golf balls used in elite competition non-conforming. Given that at elite speeds, every mile per hour increase in clubhead speed equates to approximately 2.5-3 yards in total distance, increasing the test speed by 7 miles per hour could result in a distance loss of about 20 yards or more.

The proposed MLR would be scheduled to take effect in January 2026. This proposal is the result of the ruling bodies’ position on driving distance outlined in its conclusions from the Distance Insight research project. Previously, “the objectives were to identify mechanisms to address the persistent increases in hitting distance over time that have fueled the pace at which golf courses are lengthening, as well as to enhance the reward of a central impact”.

Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy are two of the longest drivers of the golf ball in the elite game. Tom Pennington

The proposal is a slight shift from the “areas of interest” that the ruling bodies announced last spring. In that document, the ideas that were floated included a similar change in the ball test that would apply to all golfers, not just elite players.

Also in that document were proposed ideas to roll back the springiness of driver faces and make them less forgiving. But those latter proposals were only going to be model local rules for elite competitions. The announcement only focuses on the ball and only for elite events, and suggests no specific changes for club performance rules.

One possible outcome of a model local rule providing for a shorter golf ball: Events held at certain historic venues — Augusta National, the Old Course — could employ such a ball for their events. That said, it would be odd for the ruling bodies to propose a model local rule designed to deal with what they see as the distance problem and not employ that rule unilaterally in all their events. A USGA spokeswoman declined to comment on any specifics.

Several manufacturers contacted by Golf Digest declined to comment on the proposal, but it is clear that many have been opposed to a distance rollback in comments previously filed with the ruling bodies. According to comments filed with the USGA by Acushnet, parent company of Titleist, during last year’s comment period and subsequently made public: “The game’s growth and global appeal are linked to unification. Bifurcation of the rules breaks that link.”

A spokesman for the PGA Tour declined to comment “until things are made public”. The difficulty for the tour in supporting any rollback is the vast majority of players on the PGA Tour receive some compensation from golf ball manufacturers. No ball manufacturer has announced overt support for a ball rollback of any kind up to now.

There’s also the question of whether distance continues to be a selling point for elite golf. PGA Tour players certainly achieve notoriety for the distance they are able to hit the ball. Last year, on the PGA Tour average driving distance reached nearly 300 yards for the first time (299.8). Since 2011, driving distance has increased 8.9 yards, or an average of 0.8 yards per year, considerably less than the average of 2.6 yards per year from 1994-2003. In 2002, the ruling bodies announced in a Joint Statement of Principles a desire to more closely monitor elite driving distance.

So far in the 2022-23 season, driving distance is down 2.6 yards. Average swing speed on tour has increased a little over two miles per hour since 2011 to 114.72 miles per hour. Or 12 miles per hour slower than the proposed test speed detailed in Monday’s notice.

The test swing speed for the Overall Distance Standard was changed in 2004 from 109 miles per hour to the current 120 miles per hour, but at the same time, the maximum distance for a conforming ball was raised to 320 yards. Under this new proposal, the speed increase would not include an increase in the maximum distance.

To put the proposed change in perspective, currently there are no players on the PGA Tour with an average swing speed of 127 miles per hour. However, approximately 20 players have posted a high swing speed of more than 127 miles per hour.

The notice sent by the ruling bodies to manufacturers on Monday indicates that the shift to only a model local rule on the golf ball reflects the comments the ruling bodies received last year. “The USGA and The R&A were not considering changes that would result in substantial reductions in hitting distances at all levels of the game,” the notice states. “The proposed MLR would enable golf event organisers and committees to use specific balls for certain elite championships and tournaments but would not impact the current recreational game in any way.”

For now, the proposal announcement does not make clear how far the phrase “elite competitions” applies. It may be for elite men’s professional events, but even then, what might that mean for elite college and amateur events? What might it mean for elite events that have qualifying tournaments? And what would that mean for events such as the US Open that have a handicap qualification for entry, given that said handicap would likely be achieved through using a ball that would be nonconforming in the US Open, under the proposed model local rule? Any such change to the golf ball used at an elite event is subject to a new set of complications that competitive golf hasn’t confronted before.

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Thanks to one Reddit user — and via our friends at Caddie Network — we have an insane photo of giant bags of golf balls that was taken after one course decided to drain all its ponds as part of a redesign. See for yourself:

A local course drained their ponds during a redesign and uncovered this collection of golf balls ??

(?: Yoda_Gaming69 / Reddit) pic.twitter.com/QTzfzrFRhu

— Caddie Network (@CaddieNetwork) February 11, 2023

Look at all those golf balls that were sent to a watery grave! As if we needed another reminder that us weekend hackers are bad at golf.

Doing some quick and impressive maths, one Reddit user estimated there to be 23,375 golf balls in the photo. Wow.

And according to the original poster, the course plans to “pick out the decent ones and sell them for charity.” You love to hear it. Although, if it’s local golfers buying them, you can guarantee most will be right back in those ponds once they’re filled up again.

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The TP5 Pix 2.0 balls, which are available in both the TP5 and TP5x varieties, continue the use of a multicoloured pattern of images to produce a visual indicator of the ball’s rotation, introduced last year. The images arrayed on the original TP5 Pix were a design developed by researchers at Indiana University. The aim is to enhance the eyes’ natural ability to better process darker images more efficiently when it’s lighter and lighter images when it’s darker. Fowler, who has occasionally played a Pix ball since switching to TaylorMade TP5x last year, wanted to improve the ball’s effectiveness in terms of aiming.

“The Pix graphics give you a precise focal point to work with,” Fowler said. “When we started developing the new design, one of my first comments was if we didn’t have the full TaylorMade logo in two places, we would have space to create a path that works for alignment and feedback.”
In the Pix 2.0, the pixilated images, which are now a multicoloured triangle, are arrayed to make room for a distinct open space between the logo and side stamp on the ball. The orange baselines of the triangles line up to frame the open space that encloses the logo and side stamp. According to the company, the feature, which TaylorMade is calling “ClearPath,” is designed to improve both alignment and provide feedback on whether the putt was struck solidly and on target. Fowler wasn’t just lending his name and likeness to the project, said Michael Fox, TaylorMade’s category director for golf balls.

“Rickie was heavily involved in the development from Day 1 as his goal was always to get into a Pix product,” Fox said. “We had monthly and weekly contact with Rickie going back and forth on the product.”

The new balls are the same as the monochrome TP5 and TP5x balls, the company’s trademark five-layer urethane cover balls that were upgraded last year. The current version features an improved layer just below the cover, a high-flex modulus resin. Eric Loper, director of golf ball research and development, called it “the fastest material that TaylorMade has ever used in a golf ball.”

The Pix 2.0 balls will be in stores Feb. 28 ($45). Release dates and UAE pricing have have yet to be released.

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That, however, is where the similarities pretty much end. The new Tour B line isn’t merely a continuation of the previous series with a subtle tweak here and there. Rather it is a complete reimagining of the line, save for the names which will remain Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour B RX and Tour B RXS to cover a wide swath of swing speeds, launch conditions and feel preferences.

The new line started with pondering a question every golf-ball designer has dealt with since the modern-ball era began in 2000: How to increase driver distance while enhancing greenside spin? The result usually coming in the form of some sort of compromise between the two.

Fortunately for Bridgestone, it’s a company used to dealing with rubber-based products and has more than 900 rubber and polymer engineers worldwide. Bridgestone leaned on that expertise—along with the input of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods—to try and decouple that problem and arrived at a new cover formulation in the process.

Named “Reactiv” by the company, the cover utilizes an “impact modifier”—an additive to the urethane that acts as a shock absorber on slow-impact shots, thus delivering more spin. It’s also highly resilient on longer shots with faster swings for more distance. In short, the cover behaves differently dependent on the force of the impact. Impact modifiers have been used in automotive, electrical and electronic industries for similar dual purposes.

“It’s a new technology that we have been working on for several years,” said Elliot Mellow, marketing manager for Bridgestone golf balls. “It’s not easy to work with, so it took some time.”

All the balls in the series will feature versions of Bridgestone’s gradational core design that gets firmer as it moves to out toward the cover to produce better energy transfer and less spin. The core also is slightly larger than the previous version and slight changes have been made to the dual-dimple pattern (smoother edges on the larger dimples) to create less drag for better performance in the wind. The three-piece balls also contain the company’s “activation acceleration mantle” layer.

As for Woods, he has spent two years testing new balls for Bridgestone, offering feedback at every level. During a test session in February, 2019, Woods told Golf Digest, “My main thing with the guys at Bridgestone is I know my feel at impact and I know where the ball needs to be in my window and if it’s not there, I can tell them where it should be and they’re going to be able to tell me the reasons why it’s not and how we address it.”

While Bridgestone staffers Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau already have the Tour B X in play, Woods will be teeing it up for the first time in competition at the Farmers Insurance Open.

“Working closely with the R&D team I’ve been able to take ownership of this design more than any other ball spec in my career,” Woods said in a statement.

Of course, not everyone swings like Tiger Woods, which is why in addition to the Tour B X and Tour B XS which is designed for players swinging 105 miles per hour or more, the company will continue to produce the Tour B RX and Tour B RXS for players swinging less than that. Fred Couples and Rocco mediate are expected to us the RXS version on the PGA Tour Champions.

Tour pros, of course, have immediate access to ball fitting any time they want it. To help provide as close to that service as possible to everyday players, Bridgestone—long a proponent of ball fitting—also is introducing its VFIT service where golfers take a video of their swing, send it in and receive a ball-fitting recommendation. The video is of a driver swing and needs to be shot ion a specific manner so an algorithm can calculate the player’s launch conditions from which a ball recommendation will be made, usually within 24 hours. For more information on VFIT, click here.

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Core: The three-piece Z-Star’s core is now softer (two compression points lower from 90 to 88) to improve feel, lower spin and increase launch. The dual core on the Z-Star XV features a larger and softer inner core while maintaining the firmness of the outer core (105 compression or firmer than other leading outer cores according to Srixon’s testing) for faster ballspeeds.

Dimple pattern: Both balls use a new 338-dimple pattern that reduces drag for better downrange carry. The new pattern uses five dimple sizes to improve the relationship between the uniformity of the dimples and the occupancy (or surface coverage).

Cover coating: In addition to the urethane covers, both balls benefit from the third generation of a cover coating it calls “spinskin.” The new design is 13 percent softer than the previous version, helping it to get into the grooves better. The softer coating allows the cover to stretch more at impact to create greater friction & more spin on short greenside shots.

The Z-Star and Z-Star XV differ largely in spin, with the Z-Star spinning a little less on tee shots and launching generally higher through the bag than the XV.

“I think it’s more complicated than saying the differences are based on swing speed,” says Srixon’s Jeff Brunski, director of research and development. “For our tour staff, they’re making the decision between Z-Star and XV based on approach shots and greenside. The guys that are really sensitive in those kinds of shots tend to be Z-Star guys because of a slightly softer cover and feel.”

Brunski also makes the point that while the high swing speed player may see more ballspeed with the XV, certain of those players may get better launch conditions and end up hitting it farther with the Z-Star.

While the Z-Star models are geared to elite players with swing speeds north of 90 miles per hour, the other new urethane cover entry for Srixon has a focus on average golfers and average wallets, too. The Q-Star Tour is a lower compression design (overall ball compression of 75, according to the company) with a three-piece construction aimed at producing higher launch and lower spin on driver and iron shots. The lower compression core helps average speeds produce more ball velocity, while the resilient intermediate mantle layer works with the core to help iron shots launch higher and faster.

Brunski says the Q-Star Tour’s urethane cover produces very close to the spin on short game shots that its Z-Star models do (about 200 rpm less on a half-wedge shot where overall spin might be in the mid-5000s). In addition, its one of the few balls from a major manufacturer at this price point ($30 a dozen) to feature a urethane cover, which can be key to executing greenside shots that check when they land rather than release. Most other balls less than $40 a dozen use ionomer covers, which tend to yield less spin on the shortest of shots.

Brunski believes that because of its lower-spin Q-Star Tour would be a benefit to any golfer who’s fighting to keep the ball curving less off the tee.

“I think the Q-Star Tour could really help a lot of golfers because a lot of golfers spin the ball too much,” Brunski says. “And since it’s higher launch and lower spin through the bag, a lot of players are going to be hitting 5-irons instead of 4-irons, for example. So the Q-Star Tour really has mass appeal.”

The Z-Star and Z-Star XV ($40 a dozen) will be available February 17. The Q-Star Tour will be in stores April 14.

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